Integrating electrical layer on optical sub-assembly for optical interconnects
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, an optical/electrical interconnect may comprise an optical/electrical assembly having a flex panel formed thereon. The flex panel may include one or more electrical traces and/or contact pads to couple electrical traces on a substrate of the optical/electrical interconnect with an optoelectronic die disposed on the optical/electrical assembly. The flex panel may be formed on a molded sub-assembly panel via lamination, or the sub-assembly panel may be formed on the flex panel via an over-molding process, to form laminated sub-assembly panels. The laminated sub-assembly panels may be diced into one or more optical/electrical assemblies.
Optical sub-assemblies have been proposed to be utilized in chip to chip optical interconnects. However, conventional optical sub-assemblies typically may only provide optical functionality.
Claimed subject matter is particularly pointed out and distinctly claimed in the concluding portion of the specification. However, such subject matter may be understood by reference to the following detailed description when read with the accompanying drawings in which:
It will be appreciated that for simplicity and/or clarity of illustration, elements illustrated in the figures have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements may be exaggerated relative to other elements for clarity. Further, if considered appropriate, reference numerals have been repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding and/or analogous elements.
DETAILED DESCRIPTIONIn the following detailed description, numerous specific details are set forth to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known methods, procedures, components and/or circuits have not been described in detail.
In the following description and/or claims, the terms coupled and/or connected, along with their derivatives, may be used. In particular embodiments, connected may be used to indicate that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact with each other. Coupled may mean that two or more elements are in direct physical and/or electrical contact. However, coupled may also mean that two or more elements may not be in direct contact with each other, but yet may still cooperate and/or interact with each other. Furthermore, the term “and/or” may mean “and”, it may mean “or”, it may mean “exclusive-or”, it may mean “one”, it may mean “some, but not all”, it may mean “neither”, and/or it may mean “both”, although the scope of claimed subject matter is not limited in this respect.
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In one or more embodiments, optoelectronic die 120 may include an array of optical ports 140 to couple with waveguides 125 of connector 105. Optoelectronic die 120 may be an interface point for converting between the electrical based signals and optical based signals. As such, one or more optical sources and/or one or more optical detectors may be integrated within optoelectronic die 120.
Coupler 130 of connector 105 may be shaped to mate with port 116 of optical/electrical assembly 115. In one or more embodiments, port 116 and coupler 130 may mate to passively align external waveguides 125 housed within coupler 130 with optical ports 140 disposed on optoelectronic die 120. External waveguide connector 105 may include alignment pins 135 capable of mating with corresponding alignment pin holes formed within optical/electrical assembly 115. Insertion of alignment pin 135 into the alignment pin holes within the optical/electrical assembly 115 may passively align external waveguides 125 to butt connect with one or more of the optical ports of optoelectronic die 120 with high alignment precision. Once connected, optical signals may be communicated between external waveguides 125 and optoelectronic die 120.
In one or more embodiments, optoelectronic die 120 may comprise a semiconductor material, such as silicon, gallium arsenide, other III V semiconductors, or the like. Optoelectronic die 120 may include integrated optoelectronic devices, such as an optical source and/or an optical detector. One or more such optical sources may be electrically coupled with and/or responsive to a portion of the electrical ports to generate optical signals for transmission through external waveguides 125 via the optical ports of optoelectronic die 120. In turn, electrical ports may be coupled to conductor pads 118 via electrical connections, such as solder bumps 180 disposed on optoelectronic die 120, other surface mount connections, or the like. Conductor pads 118 may couple to conductor traces 117, conductor pads 119, and/or conductor traces 112 to couple electrical signals from external electrical devices mounted on substrate 110. While a portion of conductor traces 112 may deliver electrical signals into optoelectronic die 120 for modulating the optical sources, a portion may also deliver power for driving the optical sources.
One or more optical detectors may also be integrated within optoelectronic die 120 for receiving optical signals from external waveguides 125 and/or for generating electrical signals in response thereto. Such optical detectors may be coupled to another portion of the electrical ports to deliver the generated electrical signals to the external electronic devices disposed on substrate 110 via conductor traces 117 and 112. Accordingly, a portion of conductor traces 112 may carry electrical signals from the optical detectors of optoelectronic die 120 or deliver power into optoelectronic die 120 for operating the optical detectors. Further details of the structure and/or function of optical/electrical interface 100 is described in U.S. Pat. No. 7,068,892 which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
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Although the claimed subject matter has been described with a certain degree of particularity, it should be recognized that elements thereof may be altered by persons skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and/or scope of claimed subject matter. It is believed that the subject matter pertaining to integrating an electrical layer on an optical sub-assembly for optical interconnects and/or many of its attendant utilities will be understood by the forgoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and/or arrangement of the components thereof without departing from the scope and/or spirit of the claimed subject matter or without sacrificing all of its material advantages, the form herein before described being merely an explanatory embodiment thereof, and/or further without providing substantial change thereto. It is the intention of the claims to encompass and/or include such changes.
Claims
1. A method, comprising:
- molding an optical sub-assembly panel, wherein said molding comprises molding one or more optical ports, one or more connector receptacles, or one or more alignment pin holes, or combinations thereof, in the optical-subassembly panel;
- laminating a flex panel onto the optical sub-assembly panel to form a laminated optical sub-assembly panel; and
- dicing the laminated optical sub-assembly panel into one or more optical/electrical assemblies.
2. (canceled)
3. A method as claimed in claim 1, said flex panel including one or more electrical traces or one or more electrical contact pads, or combinations thereof, formed thereon.
4. A method as claimed in claim 1, said flex panel comprising a polyimide type material.
5. A method as claimed in claim 1, said molding comprising a precision molding process.
6. A method as claimed in claim 1, said molding comprising an over-molding process.
7. A method as claimed in claim 1, further comprising assembling an optical/electrical interconnect by disposing one or more of the optical/electrical assemblies on a substrate of the optical electrical interconnect.
8. An apparatus, comprising:
- an optical/electrical assembly;
- a flex panel disposed on said optical/electrical assembly; and
- an optoelectronic die having one or more optical ports disposed thereon, said optoelectronic die being capable of converting electrical signals into optical signals, or optical signals into electrical signals, or combinations thereof;
- said optical/electrical assembly having a port formed therein to couple with a coupler of a waveguide connector, and having one or more alignment pin holes formed therein to passively align external waveguides housed in the coupler with the one or more optical ports of the optoelectronic die.
9. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, said flex panel having one or more electrical traces or one or more contact pads, or combinations thereof, formed thereon.
10. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, said flex panel comprising a polyimide type material.
11. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, said optical/electrical assembly having one or more optical ports, one or more connector receptacles, or one or more alignment pin holes, or combinations thereof, formed thereon.
12. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising an optoelectronic die disposed on said optical/electrical assembly, said optical electronic die being capable of converting electrical signals into optical signals, or optical signals into electrical signals, or combinations thereof.
13. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising a substrate having one or more electrical traces formed thereon capable of coupling with one or more electrical traces of said flex panel.
14. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
- a substrate having one or more electrical traces formed thereon capable of coupling with one or more electrical traces of said flex panel; and
- wherein the electrical traces on said substrate are capable of coupling with said optoelectronic die via the one or more electrical traces of said flex panel.
15. An apparatus as claimed in claim 8, further comprising:
- wherein said optoelectronic die is capable of coupling with a waveguide disposed in an optical port of said optical/electrical assembly to couple the waveguide with one or more electrical traces formed on said flex panel.
Type: Application
Filed: Feb 26, 2007
Publication Date: Aug 28, 2008
Inventors: Daoqiang (Daniel) Lu (Chandler, AZ), Edris M. Mohammed (Hillsboro, OR)
Application Number: 11/710,787
International Classification: G02B 6/12 (20060101);